1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a sheet-sorting apparatus for sorting sheets discharged from a copy machine, printer or an image-processing device.
2. Description of the Related Arts
The following describes a sheet-sorting apparatus that is used to sort a series of sheets formed with indicia thereupon into pluralities of sets.
Sheet-sorting apparatuses have a stacking tray for the final stacking of sheets having indicia formed thereupon and a processing tray established along the path of a process to transport sheets to the stacking tray. Also, sheets that have indicia formed thereupon are stacked on an interim-processing tray from which they can be switched backed and discharged to the stacking tray.
In the transporting process of the sheets just described, all sheets are transported to the interim-processing tray whereat the relative positions of the sets of sheets are shifted. In other words, the interim-processing tray shifts the leading sheet set to either the right side or to the left side for sorting.
In the type of apparatus as described above, all of the sheet sets have to be shifted in order to be sorted, so any subsequent sheet sets cannot be transported to the processing tray without discharging the sheet set that is on the processing tray to the interim-processing tray. Therefore, while discharging the sheet set on the interim-processing tray to the stacking tray, a waiting time had to be created for stopping the transporting of subsequent sheets. Because such waiting time is required, the continuation of the process is interrupted and much processing time is required.
Also, if a series of sheets to be sorted exceeds the limit that can be stacked on the processing tray, the sheet set could not be carried onto the processing tray at one time.
The objective of this invention is to attain a sheet processing apparatus that is capable of continuous processing without requiring waiting time, as has been necessary in the past, and to provide an image-processing apparatus equipped with such an apparatus.
The first object of the present invention calls for a sheet processing apparatus to have a stacking tray for stacking sheets with indicia formed thereupon, being equipped with a processing tray to receive said sheets in the process leading to this stacking tray a path to discharge said sheets directly to the stacking tray as required, the path for discharging to the stacking tray via processing tray is selectable.
In the first object of the present invention, the apparatus directly discharges a plurality of leading sheets to the stacking tray, then in continuation, stacks subsequent sheet sets onto the processing tray, then via this processing tray, the apparatus discharges completed sheet sets to the stacking tray and changes the relative stacking positions of the leading and of subsequent sheet sets on the stacking tray to sort the leading and subsequent sheet sets.
The second object has a shifting means for shifting while sheets are overlapping the stacking tray and the processing tray, in the process via the processing tray.
The third object of the present invention is to handle as a single set, a plurality of leading sheets discharged directly to the stacking tray and subsequent sheet sets to be discharged as sets to the stacking tray via the processing tray and having a waiting time set for sheet transfer between the leading single body and the subsequent single set.
The fourth object of the present invention is to handle a plurality of leading sheets discharged directly to the stacking tray and subsequent sheet sets to be discharged as sets to the stacking tray via the processing tray as a single set and to continuously discharge the leading single set and subsequent single set in one action to the stacking tray.
The fifth object of the present invention is to handle a plurality of leading sheets discharged directly to the stacking tray and subsequent sheet sets to be discharged as sets to the stacking tray via the processing tray as a single set. Here, the sheet set discharged from the processing tray for the leading set and the sheets discharged directly to the stacking tray for the subsequent set are overlapped and then discharged.
The sixth object of the present invention is a sheet processing apparatus having a stacking tray for stacking image processed sheets, a processing tray for temporarily stacking sheets in the process leading to the stacking tray, a shifting means to change the position of the stacked sheets on the processing tray and a capacity recognition means for recognizing the volume of stacked sheets for stacking on the processing tray, to sort sheets in prescribed numbers of sheets.
In the sheet processing apparatus of the sixth object, when the capacity recognition means recognizes that the amount of sheets stacked on the processing tray has exceeded the stacking limit or the capacity of the processing tray, it discharges those sheets stacked on the processing tray to the stacking tray while continuing the operation of the shifting means so that the relative positions of the sheets previously discharged onto the processing tray and the subsequent sheets of the same set are the same until the prescribed number of sheets of the entire set that is desired has been reached for the subsequent sheets.
The seventh object of the present invention is to temporarily stop the stacking of the subsequent sheets onto the processing tray when the capacity recognition means recognizes that the amount stacked on the sheets on the processing tray has exceeded the stacking limit of the processing tray.
The eighth object of the present invention is a capacity recognition means comprising a counting means for counting the number of sheets to be stacked on the processing tray.
The ninth object of the present invention is a capacity recognition means comprising a level sensor for determining the level of the sheets that have been stacked on the processing tray.
The tenth object of the present invention is an image forming apparatus such as a copy machine or printer and the sorting of the sheets discharged from the image forming apparatus equipped with a sheet finishing apparatus for stapling or opening holes, the sheet finishing apparatus equipped with a stacking tray for stacking sheets formed with indicia thereupon, and a processing tray to receive said sheets in the process leading to said stacking tray, a path to discharge said sheets directly to the stacking tray as required and a path for discharging to the stacking tray via processing tray, both paths being selectable.
The image forming device of this tenth object of the present invention is also provided a control mechanism to sort the leading sheet set and the subsequent sheet set by directly discharging the leading plurality of sheets to the stacking tray, then continuing to stack the subsequent sheet sets on the processing tray, and discharging the set of sheets to the stacking tray via this processing tray to change the relative stacking positions of the leading sheet set and the subsequent sheet set on the stacking tray.